A large granite outcrop at the headwaters of the Mississippi Creek in the Colquhoun State forest, just west of Lakes Entrance, was identified in the early 1890s. It’s said to be of the same geological formation as the pink granite at Wilsons Promontory, Gabo Island and northern Tasmania. The beautiful granite will take a highContinue reading “Mississippi Quarry – Colquhoun forest.”
Category Archives: Forests
Update on the Beechworh Museum Collection.
With the money raised from the sale of the FCV lapel pins last year the Forests Commission Retired Personnel Association (FCRPA) engaged Mark Jesser, a professional photographer, from Wodonga. We recently had a two-day working bee at Beechworth with Leith McKenzie, Andrew Pook, Mark A Webster and myself pulling all the dusty items out of their display casesContinue reading “Update on the Beechworh Museum Collection.”
The loss of Longitude and the “Disputed Territory”.
In 1836, the western boundary between colonies of NSW and South Australia, and what was later to become the border of Victoria, was decided as the 141 degree meridian of longitude east of Greenwich. Three years later in 1839, Charles Tyers transferred from the Royal Navy and was given the task to precisely mark theContinue reading “The loss of Longitude and the “Disputed Territory”.”
Christian’s Mill – Wombat Forests.
William Christian arrived in Melbourne in 1850 and worked as a pattern maker in a foundry. But like many others he was soon drawn by the lure of the goldfields. After a few unsuccessful years of trying his luck, William ended up in Woodend in 1868 and started a couple of successful sawmills in theContinue reading “Christian’s Mill – Wombat Forests.”
Dog’s Grave.
When travelling around State forests it’s not uncommon to find a lonely and forgotten grave tucked away in the bush. The last resting place of some unlucky traveller or pioneer killed in an accident, unable perhaps to receive medical aid in time. They were usually buried where they died. The grave of former dance girlContinue reading “Dog’s Grave.”
The Parliament House Dummy-Spit.
State forests and public land not only produce timber but are also important for sand, crushed rock and dimensioned stone for buildings. Victoria has large quantities of hard basalt, or bluestone, across the western district plains but in the early days of the Colony it had to suffer the indignity of importing sandstone from NSW.Continue reading “The Parliament House Dummy-Spit.”
Victorian timber industry – 1982.
What a difference 42 years makes. This 1982 map shows Victorian hardwood and softwood sawlog production, as well as the number of mills by region. The Forests Commission reported in 1981-82 that there were fewer new houses completed than for the previous 30 years. Home loan interest rates were at a record high of 16.5%.Continue reading “Victorian timber industry – 1982.”
The Bendoc Log.
The 1 January 2024 not only marks the beginning of a New Year, but also marks the end of timber harvesting in Victorian State forests. Some people will be rejoicing, but many will be angry and looking for explanations, or someone to blame. However, the demise of native forest timber harvesting has been a veryContinue reading “The Bendoc Log.”
Growth Rings (updated).
There is always a danger making lists but, to my mind, some of the main events that have shaped forest and bushfire management in Victoria are below… • 1820s – Before European settlement around 88% of the 23.7 million ha of what was to become the Colony of Victoria was tree-covered. • 1851 – InContinue reading “Growth Rings (updated).”
Forests and Bushfire History of Victoria – Series 4 (2023)
It’s been another busy year on the Victorian Forests and Bushfire Heritage FB page. Once again, the main stories have been gathered up into free eBook and published in the National and State Libraries so they don’t get lost in the Facebook soup. Other notable things for 2023 include. Im not sure about next year…Continue reading “Forests and Bushfire History of Victoria – Series 4 (2023)”
Splitting guns.
Black powder splitting guns were commonly used to split large logs into more manageable pieces before the advent of excavators and front-end loaders in bush logging operations. A typical splitting gun used in Victorian forests was a piece of high-grade steel about 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and about 16 inches long, and slightlyContinue reading “Splitting guns.”
Tall trees and taller tales.
It’s often said that mountain ash, Eucalyptus regnans, is the world’s tallest flowering plant, and possibly the tallest plant of all time, although no living specimens can make that claim. Tree height is influenced by species, genetics, age, stand density, soil type and depth, rainfall, aspect, altitude, protection from wind and snow damage, fire historyContinue reading “Tall trees and taller tales.”
Branding Hammers.
Metal branding hammers were the most common way to control the sale and movement of hardwood timber produce like logs, railway sleepers, fence posts, and poles from Victorian State forests. Royalty was also paid on this basis. The hammer had a crown stamp on one end with a unique number in the middle which identifiedContinue reading “Branding Hammers.”
Brunton’s Bridge.
The iron framed Brunton’s Bridge is undoubtedly one of Gippsland’s engineering icons. It was opened in 1888 on the road from Toongabbie to the Walhalla goldfields. Mr Mephan Ferguson, (Great-Grandfather of VSF forester, and later CFA Chief Fire Officer, Euan Ferguson) built the bridge under contract from the Public Works Department at a cost ofContinue reading “Brunton’s Bridge.”
Blue Gum piles.
These photographs, taken in the early 1900s, are of 100 foot long Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus) piles produced by the Gray Brothers mills on Bruny Island in southern Tasmania. The timber was destined as hewn piles for Admiralty Harbour Works at Dover in England and for similar works at Simon’s Town in South Africa. TheContinue reading “Blue Gum piles.”
Timber seasoning – Newport.
Early foresters, as well as some sawmillers and timber merchants, recognised the unique qualities of Victorian hardwood timbers and the Government was keen to promote them to the world market. But by far, the greatest proportion of dressed timber for internal work, joinery and furniture was expensive imports from North America and Scandinavia. There wasContinue reading “Timber seasoning – Newport.”
Boat Knees.
The beautiful curves of wooden boats have surfaces which come together at odd angles and often use special timber shapes called “boat knees” to join them together and add strength. Most woodworkers know that timber is strongest along the grain but will split when force is applied across the grain. Timber can be bent, joinedContinue reading “Boat Knees.”
Sawdust.
The losses from converting round logs onto square sawn timber depends on the species of tree, the diameter and length of the log, straightness and the overall taper of the log, internal defects and waste. Sawn timber recovery can vary from 40 to 50% of the gross volume (cubic metres) for a large mountain ashContinue reading “Sawdust.”
Victoria’s Forests & Bushfire Heritage 